Bahrain GP Thread will contain Practice, Qualifying and Race spoilers

[Fernando]

The Bahrain International Circuit will host the fourth round of the 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship. Designed by Hermann Tilke, BIC made its F1 debut in 2004 and was the first circuit in the Middle East to do so. The grand prix has never been won by anyone from beyond the first two rows but neither has it been particularly favourable to drivers on pole – only three times in seven runnings has the pole-sitter gone on to win the race. It has, however, been a circuit that rewards a strong car with six out of the seven races being won by the team that has gone on to win the Constructors' Championship. The one exception being 2010 – though eventual Champions Red Bull Racing were leading the race comfortably until a faulty spark plug caused Sebastian Vettel to fall back.

For 2012, F1 is going back to the 5.4km Grand Prix Circuit configuration as used in 2009, rather than the 6.3km Endurance Circuit on which it raced in 2010. The revision to the earlier layout cuts out a large slow-speed sector of the track, bringing down the number of corners to 15 from 24. One peculiarity of racing in the desert is the amount of dust on the circuit. Bahrain sees a great deal of track-evolution over the weekend as cars clean the racing line. Another factor with the dust is the amount of attention teams pay to air filtration and monitoring engine wear – ingress of sand or dust into the engine is potentially catastrophic.

The circuit itself is very smooth and doesn't have the harsh kerbs seen elsewhere, meaning teams can set ride-heights low but still attack apexes aggressively. This is a heavy braking circuit and calls for unusually high levels of brake cooling. Managing that and providing the right level of traction on the evolving surface are both key technical issues. McLaren go into this race holding a lead in both championships but Bahrain has not been a race at which they have prospered in the past, having neither a victory nor a pole position at BIC.

Length of lap:
5.412km
Lap record
1:30.252 (Michael Schumacher Ferrari, 2004)
Start line/finish line offset
0.246km
Total number of race laps
57
Total race distance
308.238km
Pitlane speed limits
60km/h during practice;
100km/h during race

CHANGES TO THE CIRCUIT SINCE 2010

The Bahrain Grand Prix will revert to using the 15-corner Grand Prix Circuit configuration last used in 2009 rather than the Endurance Circuit configuration used in 2010.

There have been no changes to the Grand Prix Circuit since 2009.


Fast Facts
► The Bahrain International Circuit is located in Sakhir, near the west coast of the island, some 30km south of the capital Manama. The circuit covers 170 hectares and area also boasts an air force base, a palace, a nature reserve and the main campus of the University of Bahrain.
► Fernando Alonso is the most successful driver in Bahrain with three victories from the seven races held at the circuit. Felipe Massa has two victories, Jenson Button and Michael Schumacher both have one victory each.
► Four times in the seven runnings of the Bahrain Grand Prix the winner in the desert has gone on to claim the F1 Drivers' World Championship at the end of the season. Only twice has the defending World Champion won the race.
► The Bahrain International Circuit has two main pit complexes and six potential layouts. Alongside the Grand Prix and Endurance layouts, there is an Inner Circuit, Outer Circuit, Paddock Circuit (as used in the Australian V8 touring car series) and a Flat Oval. It also incorporates a drag strip.

► The surface of the track is made of Graywacke aggregate, shipped from a quarry in Shropshire, England. Graywacke is a type of sandstone prized by racing circuits for offering a high level of grip. Yas Marina, home of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix uses the same aggregate in its circuit construction.
► The Bahrain International Circuit was the first F1 track to be awarded the FIA Institute Centre of Excellence award. The award recognises excellent safety and medical facilities, the training and professionalism of marshals and the high overall standards of technology require to maintain the circuit at this level of excellence. The Bahraini circuit received the award in 2007. ► Both GP2 and GP2 Asia have been frequent visitors to this track. Before his F1 victory in China, Nico Rosberg's previous single-seater victories were here in Bahrain at the final races of the first GP2 season. Uniquely for that season the Bahrain rounds were a standalone event rather than F1 support races. Rosberg won both the feature and sprint races and became the first driver to win both during the same GP2 meeting. In doing so he clinched the inaugural GP2 title. Other Bahrain GP2 winners now racing in F1 are Romain Grosjean, Kamui Kobayashi, Sergio Pérez and Charles Pic.
► Michael Schumacher's lap record stil stands from the original 2004 Bahrain Grand Prix. Three of the first four races of 2012 take place at tracks with a lap record set by Schumacher in 2004.
► Located near the coast in a region predominantly flat, racing at BIC can be affected when the wind changes direction. When headwinds and tailwinds swap on the long straights cars can suffer from seventh gears that are either too short or too long.

Race Stewards

GARRY CONNELLY
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER, FIA INSTITUTE; DIRECTOR, AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF MOTOR SPORT SAFETY; F1 AND WTCC STEWARD; FIA WORLD MOTOR SPORT COUNCIL MEMBER
Garry Connelly has been involved in motor sport since the late 1960s. A long-time rally competitor, Connelly was instrumental in bringing the World Rally Championship to Australia in 1988 and served as Chairman of the Organising Committee, Board member and Clerk of Course of Rally Australia until December 2002. He has been an FIA Steward and FIA Observer since 1989, covering the FIA's World Rally Championship, World Touring Car Championship and Formula One Championship. He is a director of the Australian Institute of Motor Sport Safety and a member of the FIA World Motor Sport Council.

EMANUELE PIRRO
FORMER F1 DRIVER AND FIVE-TIMES LE MANS WINNER
During a motor sport career that has spanned almost 40 years, Emanuele Pirro has achieved a huge amount of success, most notably in sportcar racing, with five Le Mans wins, victory at the Daytona 24 Hours and two wins at the Sebring 12 Hours. In addition he has won the German and Italian Touring Car championships (the latter twice) and has twice been American Le Mans Series Champion. Pirro enjoyed a three-season Formula 1 career from 1989 to 1991, firstly with Benetton and then for Scuderia Italia. He subsequently spent four years as a test driver for McLaren. Pirro's debut as an FIA Steward came at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and like his fellow stewards this weekend, he officiated at the 2011 Bahrain Grand Prix.

SILVIA BELLOT
GRADUATE OF THE FIA TRAINEE STEWARD PROGRAMME
Silvia Bellot began marshalling in 2001 at the age of 16. Bellot has been Permanent Chairman of Stewards for the European F3 Open and Spanish Endurance Championships, as well as Permanent Steward of the GT Open International and Andorra Ice Championships, among other national series. A native of Barcelona, Bellot has sat on the stewards' panel at a wide range of championships, including the World Rally Championship, GP2, GP3, BMW Europe, DTM and World Series by Renault. In 2001, she started her collaboration with Catalunya's automobile club, the RACC, and in 2008 she joined the Spanish Assembly and the Circuit de Catalunya officials' committee. A year later, Bellot took part in the FIA trainee stewards' program for GP2 and F1. In 2011 she sat as a steward at the Turkish and Italian Grands Prix.

Source: FIA official site

[dyrewolfe]

Still hoping its going to be called off after what happened to the Force India engineers.

Its an absolute travesty its been given the go-ahead.

[Fernando]

Practice 1 results

Pos Driver Team Time Laps
1. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.572 11
2. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m33.877s + 0.305 21
3. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m34.150s + 0.578 26
4. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m34.249s + 0.677 23
5. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m34.277s + 0.705 14
6. Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1m34.344s + 0.772 26
7. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m34.483s + 0.911 17
8. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m34.552s + 0.980 22
9. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m34.609s + 1.037 17
10. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m34.847s + 1.275 20
11. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m35.024s + 1.452 22
12. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m35.268s + 1.696 24
13. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m35.436s + 1.864 21
14. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m35.497s + 1.925 24
15. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m35.719s + 2.147 19
16. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m35.929s + 2.357 24
17. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m36.195s + 2.623 20
18. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m36.330s + 2.758 11
19. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m36.484s + 2.912 18
20. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m36.591s + 3.019 20
21. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m37.467s + 3.895 17
22. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m38.006s + 4.434 18
23. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m38.877s + 5.305 19
24. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m39.996s + 6.424 23

Practice 2 results

1. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m32.816s 35
2. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m33.262s + 0.446 26
3. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m33.525s + 0.709 28
4. Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1m33.747s + 0.931 26
5. Michael Schumacher Mercedes 1m33.862s + 1.046 31
6. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m34.246s + 1.430 28
7. Kamui Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1m34.411s + 1.595 34
8. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m34.449s + 1.633 31
9. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m34.615s + 1.799 32
10. Sergio Perez Sauber-Ferrari 1m34.893s + 2.077 34
11. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m34.895s + 2.079 29
12. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m34.941s + 2.125 29
13. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m35.183s + 2.367 33
14. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m35.229s + 2.413 26
15. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m35.459s + 2.643 38
16. Vitaly Petrov Caterham-Renault 1m35.913s + 3.097 32
17. Heikki Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 1m35.968s + 3.152 35
18. Bruno Senna Williams-Renault 1m36.169s + 3.353 30
19. Timo Glock Marussia-Cosworth 1m36.587s + 3.771 32
20. Charles Pic Marussia-Cosworth 1m37.803s + 4.987 33
21. Pedro de la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1m37.812s + 4.996 28
22. Narain Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1m39.649s + 6.833 27

Force India didn't take part in P2 to get back to their hotel before dark after the incident midweek.

[Guest]

If you've watched FP1/2, you would of seen how effective that Mercedes DRS system is especially in sectors 1/3. I can't see beyond at least one Mercedes on the front row, however Red Bull look extremely competitive and if they can finish on the second row in q3, then there my favourites for the win with their excellent race pace. McLaren will be there or thereabouts but Ferrari are once again playing 'damage limitation'.

[Fernando]

For me Mercedes are like Red Bull last year extremely quicker but if stuck in traffic their tyres go off very very quickly.

[SteveG]

Track was constantly changing so I'm not reading too much into P2 times. Looks like Red Bull have made a big step forward. Still think Mclaren have time in the bag - Hamilton just didnt hook up a good lap in the earlier part of the session. However that said Mclaren need a good upgrade soon as they have not kept one step ahead.

[Alessandro Ciambella]

Last time I checked this was a thread for the Bahrain GP. A place where people talk about this weekends race. It is happening if you like it or not so deal with it.

If you want to talk about human rights then there is another thread within the excellent motorsports section.

[Fernando]

If you want to talk about human rights then there is another thread within the excellent motorsports section.

Any comments about human rights etc go in the other thread if post them here they will be copy and pasted into the correct thread

[Guest]

Now Doon's gone too bed or gone hill walking (as he labels as his interests) we can focus on the actual racing. I think we may have delusional beliefs about how poor Mercedes and their tyre wear issues are. After China's performance and free practice in Bahrain these are the comments from Lewis,

''I just saw their long (race simulation) run and they were very, very good. I think they've cracked it and they're just as good as us. They've pulled something out of the bag. I don't feel we have the pace for pole''

Further to this, Ross Brawn stated ''we've found something with this car and how to get it to function and work with the tyres, China was not a flash in the pan'

They looked immense in practice with the super DRS giving nearly half a second in performance, which should ultimately result in a pole, if not a front row lock out. Of course, this DRS concept will not be so beneficial in Monaco etc, but this is worrying for McLaren who seem to have stood still since Australia while Red Bull have found time.

[supremeskills]

interesting that button was struggling for grip AGAIN.so lewis was .5 quicker again.
and on their 9 lap run lewis looked after his tyres better,hence the better lap times.
it could all change tomorrow tho depending on the temp.

[Alessandro Ciambella]

Red Bull seem to have great race pace. Even in China they suprised a lot of people with their straight line speed. I expected them to be sitting ducks on the straights, but to their credit they made it very difficult to over take them.

I believe the Mercedes will struggle with tyres in Bahrain. China was a very cold race where teams struggled to turn on their tyres. In hot conditions like this I believe Red Bull and Mclaren will be strongest in the race. The Mercedes Super Quali Car may dominate qualifying. But, come race day I predict they will struggle.

If they don't, then they will become the team to beat this season.

I do wonder how Schumacher will be feeling in the knowledge that it was not him that brought Mercedes their 1st race win.

[Critical_mass]

yeah as AC said straights china was cold, bahrain is a different ball game. i wont be suprised if merc on the front row tomorrow, but i dont expect it.

RB fast on the straights in china, must have missed that.

lets not count our chicken until the end of the bahrain race.

On another note Ferrari dont look in good shape. Alonso is doing is best in ringing out the best of the car he has. but massa could be doing better.

[Critical_mass]

just watching fp3.. i have a sneaking feeling that rosberg could be getting his 2nd pole.

[Guest]

Yer Rosberg is dominating, once again half a second quicker than Michael. Both Mercedes drivers revealed they were worried about the state of their tyres after practice, so I would imagine it's advantage Red Bull this weekend. Interested too see the inter-team battle at McLaren during qualifying, saving a set of tyres maybe crucial for sunday and their main objective if pole is unavailable.

[Critical_mass]

yeah this weekend im worried about Mclaren. They dont look as strong as they have in the previous races. Though race pace should be better.

sheesh jenson, lewis and schumacher left that close.

edit - schumacher is out of q1!

[Mad for Chelsea]

well that was surprising, disaster for Schumacher and Mercedes, and not far off being a disaster for McLaren, both on the cusp of going out in Q1. Bad misjudgement from the McLaren and Mercedes teams.

[Mad for Chelsea]

BANG! Hamilton lays down a marker with a 1:33:2, Rosberg just about matching him (slower by less than a hundreth back), Webber one tenth down, Button a further tenth down.

[Critical_mass]

does anyone know why, in the cockpit the driver has a map of the track. ive seen this before, not sure why they have it.

[Critical_mass]

RETURN OF THE FINGER!!! NOOOOO

[dyrewolfe]

Deja vu to last season. Red Bull - McLaren - Red Bull - McLaren on the first 2 rows.

Results as follows:

1. S Vettel 1:32.422
2. L Hamilton 1:32.520
3. M Webber 1:32.637
4. J Button 1:32.711
5. N Rosberg 1:32.821
6. D Ricciardo 1:32.912
7. R Grosjean 1:33.008
8. S Perez 1:33.394
9. F Alonso No time
10. P Di Resta No time

"The Finger" is back...can he convert pole into his first win of the season? And more importantly, is this the start of Red Bull's comeback?

Raikkonen and Schumacher caught out, failing to make Q3 and Q2 respectively. Kimi will be starting 11th, with his choice of tyres (and more of them) so it could actually benefir him. Schumi will have his work cut out to get into the points from 18th.

[The Special Juan]

I love being selectively interested in F1. Now that Vettel might win, I'll spend my weekend doing something else. I hope he breaks down first lap.

[mystiroakey]

nooooooooooooooooooo.

[Guest]

Interesting qualifying, however that Rosberg performance told it's own story. The guy is not good enough, he's not mentally a winner at all and isn't consistant or ruthless enough to be challenging for a title. I don't care about him winning in China, this is another performance where the car should have been on pole and isn't.

Red Bull are certainly back and the return of the 'finger' brought a smile back to my face for sure, especially when I knew Lewis will be sitting right next to him. Button, once again another poor qualifying performance, that's 4-0 to Lewis.

Should be an interesting race, which will be decided by who can manage the tyres the best and can avoid pit stop errors.

[Mad for Chelsea]

Interesting qualifying, however that Rosberg performance told it's own story. The guy is not good enough, he's not mentally a winner at all and isn't consistant or ruthless enough to be challenging for a title. I don't care about him winning in China, this is another performance where the car should have been on pole and isn't.

Red Bull are certainly back and the return of the 'finger' brought a smile back to my face for sure, especially when I knew Lewis will be sitting right next to him. Button, once again another poor qualifying performance, that's 4-0 to Lewis.

Should be an interesting race, which will be decided by who can manage the tyres the best and can avoid pit stop errors.

there goes McLaren's chance then

[Guest]

there goes McLaren's chance then

Especially when we're looking at three stops minimum, then there's a huge chance this embarrasing pit outfit will fail again.

Will be interesting too see the pace of the Red Bull in clean air, if Vettel leads going into turn 1. Webber will need a good start tomorrow because without doubt Rosberg is going to be hounding the rear end of Button from the get-go trying to make amends for his poor qualifying. Raikkonen coming through the field with an extra set of tyres is definitely one to watch.

[Belgarion of Riva]

Whilst the finger qualified in pole, he hasn't looked especially dominant. The worry is that Mclaren will wreck their drivers races.

I think Hamilton will win the race tomorrow

[dyrewolfe]

Red Bull are certainly back and the return of the 'finger' brought a smile back to my face for sure, especially when I knew Lewis will be sitting right next to him. Button, once again another poor qualifying performance, that's 4-0 to Lewis.

Should be an interesting race, which will be decided by who can manage the tyres the best and can avoid pit stop errors.

Excuse me? POOR qualifying performance from Button? He was LESS than 2/10ths slower than Hamilton. The top 6 are separated by less than 0.5sec.

[Guest]

If Button is serious about challenging for another world title he has to beat Hamilton in qualifying. He's failed to make a single pole since he's joined McLaren, i'm sorry but that's poor in my book. Resorting to blaming something on the car is just a poor excuse and it's getting very old.

4-0 is not good reading for Jenson and you can't deny that. I don't want to get into an argument about this.

[Fernando]

Points don't get handed out in Qualifying John and currently JB is 2-1 up in finishing ahead of Hamilton despite Hamilton ahead in the table.

You can twist statistics to suit anyway you like.

[SteveG]

Hoping Hamilton can get to the first corner ahead. If not then maybe the DRS zone with the cars being alot closer this year. Either way he will need to attack pretty early as in the heat of the desert his tyres will no doubt melt in Vettels dirty air. And then it would simply be bye bye Vettel and deja vu.

[Critical_mass]

will certainly be interesting how RB perform tomorrow and to see how close they are performance wise to mclaren and such like.

Im feeling a Hamilton Win tomorrow assuming the first stint goes well for him. If Jenson gets a good start also, webber could well lose 3rd place in the first corner. really is going to be exciting.

Of course i agree points aren handed out in quali. But quali is there to put you in the best position possible to get the most points. So although its not the be all and end all, certainly in changeable conditions. but you ahve to agree it can give you a the best opportunity.

[mystiroakey]

tommorow??

you mean in a few hours dude

[Critical_mass]

Yeah sorry in a few hours haha. Thanks.

[mystiroakey]

i can see lewis getting ahead early on-however the mclarean crew worry me big time

[Bull]

cant wait for the race should be ok better the 2010 one hopefully.

too bad i have to wait for the BBC to show it. anyone know what time its on the BBC?

[mystiroakey]

coverage starts at 5 on bbc.

[Bull]

Cheers Mystiro!

=( i dont want to wait that Long !

[Guest]

I'm slightly suprised the majority of people think Lewis is the favourite for this race, in conditions as extreme as found in Bahrain, where the tyres are going to fall to pieces and where ultimately supreme tyre management is key to deciding who will win.

Hopefully Lewis does win, he deserves a win. Qualifying pole, pole, second, second is a remarkable record so far, so converting these opportunities needs to begin right now. Why did Schumacher get a five-place grid penalty? It doesn't make much difference to his afternoon to be honest.

[mystiroakey]

If i didnt have sky i would be looking about for a link dude

[Guest]

raining in bahrain, any confirmation?

[SteveG]

where ultimately supreme tyre management is key to deciding who will win.

And in that heat I think following other cars is gonna kill you. If Hami doesnt get Vettel in the first few laps I would suggest pitting early into clean air.

[Critical_mass]

there you go AC, your theory of lewis getting preferential treatment over button has been scoffed. button was in first.

[Critical_mass]

AND ONCE AGAIN MCLAREN SCREW UP THE PIT STOP!

[Critical_mass]

AND AGAIN!

[Guest]

rosberg is dangerous. mclaren are ridiculous! hamilton never sign that contract!

[Critical_mass]

What is Rosberg playing at!!!

On another note, Lotus going very very well. COme on kimi catch vettel.

[owen10ozzy]

Shocking Shocking stuff!! I can not imagine anyone involved in the change of that rear left will be going to the next grand prix.

I can certainly imagine Lewis leaving at the end of the year!! Even if everything goes well with a pit stop McClaren are always a godd half second slower than the Red Bull mechanics!

Ruined Lewis' race completely.

I shall now be supporting Renault for the remainder of this race!

[Guest]

hamilton's given up on this joke, embarrasing outfit, no way signing that contract . Not even challenging massa now. race totally destroyed thanks to the amateurish performance of this stupid pit crew. that alonso move was dangerous lol!

love it if kimi wins

[Critical_mass]

There better be some ass kicking in mclaren.

COME ON KIMI!!!

[SteveG]

does anyone know if Ron is in the garage? Then he can see first hand what Hamilton is up against.

[Sponsored content]